William of the Principate

William of the Principate (1027-1080) was one of the eight sons of Tancred of Hauteville.

Biography
William was born in Coutances, Normandy, France in 1027, one of the eight sons of the Norman noble Tancred of Hauteville. In 1053, he and his brothers Geoffrey and Mauger left for southern Italy, fighting at the Battle of Civitate. In 1056, his brother Humphrey of Hauteville made him Count of the Principato at San Nicandro, and he later inherited Sorrento and conquered all of Gisulf II of Salerno's lands outside of Salerno itself. He was generous to his brothers, granting the Capitanate to Geoffrey and giving half of his lands and possessions to his landless brother Roger. He aided Roger against their older brother Robert Guiscard, and he was excommunciated in 1067 for stealing property from the Archbishop of Salerno; he was reconciled with Pope Alexander II a year later. He died in 1080.